L.A.'s free summer concerts are a cut above

Dean Allen Spunt, left, Randy Randall from the band No Age play at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2009. They'll play a free show at the Getty Museum on July 18. KARL WALTER, GETTY IMAGES

Summer concerts

Levitt Pavilion: For shows in L.A.'s MacArthur Park, go to Levittla.org/macarthur-park. For shows in Pasadena, Levittpavilionpasadena.org.

KRCW Summer Nights: The Santa Monica public radio station sponsors free concerts at the Santa Monica Pier, Hammer Museum, One Colorado in Pasadena, the Annenberg Space for Photography, and Chinatown. Go to Kcrw.com/events/summer-nights-2014

It’s really not fair, the things we get to have in Los Angeles come summertime.

There are the beaches, sure, and sunshine that warms us till long past twilight. Dodger Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl. Classic movies screened in cemeteries filled with dead celebrities, or glorious old movie palaces in downtown L.A.

But for our money the best part of summer in the city is all of the terrific music you can find under the stars almost any night of the week from June through September. From classic acts such as the Zombies and Gregg Allman to buzz bands such as Cults and La Santa Cecilia, these are not the cover bands the rest of the country gets to picnic to down at the city park.

Oh, and did we mention that these are free shows? Not the high-priced gigs at the Bowl or Staples, not the moderately priced shows at the Fonda or Wiltern, not even the kind-to-the-wallet nights at the Echo or the Roxy.

F-R-E-E – free.

We’ve gone through the listings, weighed the merits of different acts and come up with a list to help guide you through the sweet sounds of summer.

Classic sounds

While many of the acts booked for these summer series are younger bands, looking to get out in front as many different ears as possible, scattered throughout the listings are names that many people know.

British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson, a founding member of the late ‘60s folk-rock group Fairport Convention and later known for albums with former wife Linda and his solo work, plays July 10 at Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park, where the free summer series features about 50 shows, making it one of the biggest in Los Angeles.

Just over a week later, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band plays the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on July 19, kicking off KCRW’s Country in the City series. (Singer Shelby Lynne with Jamestown Revival comes to the same space July 26, followed by Wynonna Judd on Aug. 2.)

On Aug. 2, lovers of classic rockers have a tough choice: Do you see Blue Oyster Cult at Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey, and revel in the glory of “More cowbell!”? Or do you turn your eyes of the tiger toward Pershing Square in downtown L.A. for the double bill of Survivor and Lou Gramm, the hot-blooded singer in Foreigner?

Finally, something old, and something really old. Stan Ridgway of Wall of Voodoo – you remember him, he got a Mexican-whoa-oh-radio – and the English Beat of “Mirror in the Bathroom” fame play together at Pershing Square on Aug. 9. While ’60s British psych-pop band the Zombies (“Time of the Season”) play Aug. 21 at the KCRW-sponsored Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier.

Buzz bands

Now we get to the bands that fall into the category of up-and-coming. These are acts you might find in a tent at Coachella or a sidestage at the FYF Fest. They’re definitely in the sweet spot of KCRW, so it’s natural that some of them are playing concert series sponsored by the tastemaking Santa Monica public radio station.

Indie pop band Cults plays at the Santa Monica Pier on July 10 with James Supercave, followed on July 17 at the same spot by Yuna, a Malaysian indie singer-songwriter who’s getting a big push around town this summer: She also has free shows at Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey on July 19 and Sept. 6 at the Grand Performances series at California Plaza in downtown L.A.

On July 18, experimental punk band No Age plays the Friday Flights series at the Getty Museum, one of the loveliest places to hear interesting sounds as the sunsets. (Note that you pay for parking at the Getty but everything else is free.)

Alternative hip-hop and soul group the Internet, which performed at Coachella this year, plays the Figat7th Downtown Festival on July 25. The name of the series references its location at the shopping plaza at Figueroa and Seventh streets in downtown Los Angeles.

Get back to the Santa Monica Pier on Aug. 7 for another Coachella 2014 veteran, Australian psychedelic pop group Jagwar Ma, with KCRW DJ and music director Jason Bentley also on hand.

And finally, back to the Getty for its second series, Saturdays Off the 405, for BADBADNOTGOOD, a trio that mixes jazz and hip-hop, on Aug. 23.

Dean Allen Spunt, left, Randy Randall from the band No Age play at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2009. They'll play a free show at the Getty Museum on July 18. KARL WALTER, GETTY IMAGES
Musicians Tania Elizabeth, left, and Jordan McConnell of the Duhks perform at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in 2009. They'll do a free show at the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena on July 3. FRAZER HARRISON, GETTY IMAGES
Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell performs with the Grammy Jazz Ensemble in 2010. He and his big band will play a free concert at Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena on June 29. FREDERICK M. BROWN, GETTY IMAGES
Actress and singer Bernadette Peters plays a free show in Marina del Rey on Aug. 21. MICHAEL N. TODARO, GETTY IMAGES
Roberta Flack will play a free show in Marina del Rey on Aug. 16. LARRY BUSACCA, GETTY IMAGES FOR SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Rock musician Gregg Allman will play a free concert at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on July 19. EAMONN M. MCCORMACK, GETTY IMAGES FOR SUNDANCE LONDON
Singer Lou Gramm, formerly the front man of Foreigner, plays a free concert on a bill with Survivor at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 2. LARRY BUSACCA, GETTY IMAGES FOR SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME
Singer Angelique Kidjo plays the Grand Performances series at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles on June 20. DAVE KOTINSKY, GETTY IMAGES
Rock musician Gregg Allman plays a free show at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on July 19. MICHAEL LOCCISANO, GETTY IMAGES
Singer La Marisoul and the entire group La Santa Cecilia play several free concerts around Los Angeles this summer. KEVORK DJANSEZIAN, GETTY IMAGES
Randy Randall and his band No Age will play a free concert at the Getty Museum on July 18. ROGER KISBY, GETTY IMAGES FOR TUMBLR
Musician Gabriel Winterfield of the band Jagwar Ma performs onstage at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Jagwar Ma plays a free show on the Santa Monica Pier on Aug. 7. DAVE MANGELS, GETTY IMAGES FOR COACHELLA
Singer Shelby Lynne performs at the Stagecoach Music Festival in 2008. She plays a free concert at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on July 26. DAN STEINBERG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Singer Shelby Lynne performs at the Stagecoach Music Festival in 2008. She plays a free concert at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on July 26. DAN STEINBERG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna has three free shows around Los Angeles this summer. JOEL RYAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna has three free shows around Los Angeles this summer. JOEL RYAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Madeline Follin of Cults will perform with the whole band in a free show at the Santa Monica Pier on July 10. ROBB COHEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The indie band Cults will play a free show at the Santa Monica Pier on July 10. ROBB COHEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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